SIX Swiss Exchange, a principal stock exchange of Switzerland, based in Zurich, announced that it steps up efforts to enter the distributed ledger arena through developing a separate blockchain-based platform to allow its participants to tokenize conventional security instruments.

According to the announcement made this week, SIX Swiss Exchange will develop a new ecosystem to be known as SIX Digital Exchange (SDX) on the basis of a distributed ledger technology and its extensive experience in managing major financial structures.

The statement further notes that given the regulated status of the exchange, the SDX will comply with the similar standards of oversight and control, when completed, and will be regulated by the Swiss financial authorities.

SIX added that the new exchange, scheduled to come to light in mid-2019, will not be working with cryptocurrencies, as this is not the task set to the SDX. It will rather be a marketplace for conventional investors, who will be able to digitize their assets through the new platform.

Jos Dijsselhof, chief executive of SIX, comments in the announcement: “This is the beginning of a new era for capital markets infrastructures. For us it is abundantly clear that much of what is going on in the digital space is here to stay and will define the future of our industry. The financial industry now needs to bridge the gap between traditional financial services and digital communities.”